Egg carrier



Nov. 6, 1928.

M. KOPPELMAN ET AL EGG CARRIER Fi led May 11, 1927 svweutou/ Patented Nov. 6, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MORRIS KOPPELMAN, OE BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AND WINFIELD H. MATPES, OF GLEN RIDGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO HOLED-TITE PACKING, INC., OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE, AND MAPES CONSOLIDATED MANU- FACT'URING COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE.

EGG CARRIER.

Application filed Hay 1 1,

The improvements relate to devices for packing, carrying or otherwise transporting and holding eg s and other fragile articles. Devices of this aracter are commonly called 5 carriers, and usually consist of a box or carton in which the fragile articles are held and enclosed, and by which they are protected against breaking. The present improvements provide a carrier of this character which will effectively hold and protect the articles and may be used not only for the deliver and carrying of e gs in small quantities, at may be employed for the packing of them in crates of standard size, containing thirty dozen eggs, and may also be used, without a crate for shipping or mailing eggs in limited quantity.v

Among the objects and advantages ofthe present improvements-which will be described as a pliedto egg carriers-are the following: he construction of the carrier in such a manner that it may be shipped, packed and stored when empty as a flat sheet, with the holders nested, so that thecarriers will occupy a minimum of space and will protect one another against any shock or strain tending to crush or deform them; to adapt the said carrier to use in crates or boxes for the purpose of packing, positioning and protecting them therein, after the manner of the flats shown and described in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,429,207 of Se tember 12, 1922; to provide suflicient venti ation for the eggs when packed or stored; to enable the vendor or user in quantity to remove the e gs from the crate in dozen or other lots, without handling them individually, examine them or exhibit them without removing'them from the carrier, and enable the purchaser 40 in small quantities to safely carry thern and keep them on hand for consumption in the ori 'nal\ packing; and to provide firm yet yiefding individual egg holders in combination with a stifi and strong Wrapper or container for a number of them.

The improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig l is a front view in perspective of an egg carrier in open position. embodying the 1927. Serial No. 190,408.

position showing a modification or variation in the application of the improvements.

The outer folding box or carton comprises the bottom 1, front 2, with slot 2, back 3, top 4 and closing flap 5 with tongue 5 adapted to be passed through the slot 2' to hold the carton in closed position. Secured to the inside of the bottom 1, by means of light wire staples 7, or other suitable fastening means, is a sheet of material 6, preferably made of relatively soft felted wood fibres or other fibres having thereon, and referably formed integral therewith, upwar y extending ringlike protuberances 8 surrounding the concave central ortions 9. These members are of substantially the same form as the flats described and shown in the patent above referred to, and may be formed'in the manner described, in that patent, so as to be relatively rigid yet yielding, but constantly tending to return to normal position, and thereby affording a firm somewhat yielding and gripping cushion support for the eggs. The wra per or carton, on the other hand, should made of stiff strong material, such as paper board which has been pressed or ironed in its making, so that it will form a protecting rece tacle that will not yield to ordinary shoc s and strains and will form an outer box or carton of suflicientstrength to prevent ordinary ressures or impacts from compressing or de .orming it. It will be seen that the entire unitary structure is such that the sheets may be placed flat upon one another with the protuberances in nested relation. If desired, this outer carton may be provided with flaps or other means for closing its ends,

but this is not a part of the present improvements, and is not essential to their embodiment. The flats '6 and their cup-like holders may also be made integral with the outer box or carton, if desired, butif this is done some means should be employed to render the sheets 6 carrying the holders stiff and stron like the other sides of the carton. This may e done by pressing or ironing the sheets between the holders, or by making them--an'd the holders also, if desired,of sufficient weight and thickness to give the requisite strength and rigidity, as the form and arrangement of the holders is such that they tend to increase the strength of the bottom sheet and reinforce it.

In themodified form illustrated in Fig. 2, the top, 4, is provided with'a series of round holes 4 corresponding in size and shape to the ringsB, which form a part of a sheet similar to 6-,'-land having substantially the same diameteras the outer diameter of said rings, so that the bases of the rings rest on the inside of the cover around the openings, are supported by and support it, while the domelike central portions 9 surrounded by the rings are supported only by the said rings at their perimeters. These dome-like central portions do not extend to the plane of the base, and may therefore be depressed to some extent and yield to receive and protect the eggs helo therein without permitting those held by one ring to come in contact with those above or be low it. This is also important because eggs vary to some extent in length, and because provision is thus made for the accommodation of extra long eggs. The bottom of the wrapper or carton is provided with holes similar to the holes 4" in the top, and the arrangement of theholes with respect thereto is the same. It is within the purview of the present improvements to have either the top or the bottom of the carton provided withthe openings or to have both so provided, and to have top or bottom both provided with the holders. The preferred embodiment is illustrated in the drawin s, and in this form the flat 6 is secured to t e bottom of the carton, so that it is reinforced and stiffened thereby, thus providing a strong bottom and at the same time a relatively yielding set of holders. It willbe understood that where onl one side (i. e. the

top 4 or bottom 1) is provi ed with holes similar to 4", the nesting relation of the unfolded carton is accomplished by stacking them with the perforated sides alternately on the right and the left respectively, whereby the protuberances of the flats of the imperforated sides nest in the holes of the perforate sides.

In the use of the present improvements honeycomb fillers 10 consisting of the usual intersecting vertically arranged strips of sheet material are employed, the lower edges of the fill-er being ositioned and held against lateral movement etween the holders, and the filler having its opposite and side edges in contact, or in close proximity to, the other walls of the carton, so that the carton is filled and braced thereby, and so that each egg, 11, will be held in position and isolated from the others. It will be seen that the cartons herein described and shown may be filled with eggs and placed incrates of standard size, in closed position, and that when the form of Fig. 1 is emmailing or shipping without a crate, may be made of sheet metal or other very strong and rigid material, so as to securely protect its contents.

We claim: 1. Ina device of the character described, a sheet of material adapted to be folded and to form a receptacle for fragile articles having a plurality ofsides on opposite sides of the said articles, holders for said articles on one side of the sheet consisting of relatively yield ing material having inwardly extendingunbroken protuberances of the same material, said foldable sheet of material being relatively stiif and strong as compared with the material of the holders, said holders and foldable sheet being composed of separate pieces of material secured to ether.

2. A carton for ragile articles comprising a foldable sheet of stiff material adapted to form opposite sides of an enclosing container, a sheet of softer material on a portion thereof which forms one of said sides, said latter sheet having inwardly extending substantially unbroken rotuberances adapted to'engage the articles, t e construction and arran ement being such that all of the said parts orm a unitary structure having a stiff resistant outer shell and a yielding inner holding cushioning portion.

3. A carton for fragile articles comprising a foldable sheet of stiff material adapted to form opposite sides of an enclosing container, inwardly extending substantially unbroken protuberances ada ted to engage the articles on a portion of sai sheet which forms one of said sides, said protuberances being. formed of material less rigid in character than the material of the sheet, the construction and arrangement being such that all of'the said parts form a unitary structure having a stiff resistant outer shelL and a yielding inner holding cushionin portion.

4. In a device 0 the character described, a sheet of material adapted to be folded and to form a receptacle for fragilearticles having a plurality of sides on opposite sides of the sa1d articles, holders for sa1d articlesion sides ing inwardly extending protu erances of the same material, said sheet having 0 enings opposite the protuberances of one 0 said holdlot ers. all of said parts being connected and constituting a unitary structure and said holders being hollow and adapted to be nested with other similar holders on other similar sheets 5 above and below them.

5. In a device of the character described, a sheet of material adapted to be folded and to form a receptacle for fragile articles having a plurality of sides on opposite sides of the 1 said articles, holders for said articles on one side of the sheet consisting of relatively yielding material having inwardly extending protuberances of the same material, said foldable sheet of material being relatively stiff and strong as compared with the materials of the 15 holders, said foldable sheet being provided with o enings opposite the said holders, said foldablb sheet and holders being integral.

Witness our hands this 3rd day of May, 1Y9271; at the city, county and State of New 20 MQRRIS KOPPELMAN. WINFIELD H. MAPES. 

